Melinda Howells is one of the ABC's State Political Reporters based in Brisbane. She has covered four Queensland premiers and three election campaigns. Melinda started her career in the ABC's Mackay office in 2006 and has also worked in Bundaberg. She tweets at @MelindaHowells.
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| UpdatedFormer Bandido bikie Lionel Patea pleads guilty to murder after running his ex-partner's car off the road and bashing her with a metal plate while she was trapped in the wreckage.
Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, murder-and-manslaughter, crime, domestic-violence, brisbane-4000, qld, australia, molendinar-4214, southport-4215
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| UpdatedLeon Yeaman died within minutes of being punched by his neighbour Phillip Pama in an argument over noise that was heard 200 metres away, a Brisbane court is told.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, murder-and-manslaughter, courts-and-trials, boondall-4034, qld, brisbane-4000
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| UpdatedA Queensland legal service that helps money-strapped clients take legal action or defend themselves in court is worried about its own financial future, with federal funding about to run out.
Topics: community-organisations, federal---state-issues, judges-and-legal-profession, courts-and-trials, brisbane-4000
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The developers of Brisbane's Queens Wharf casino project say precautions are being taken to protect nearby historic buildings, as construction work ramps up in the area.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, community-and-society, history, brisbane-4000, qld
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| UpdatedBrisbane City Council says there were no problems with its storm warning system during Monday night's storm, despite more concerns that messages came through too late.
Topics: storm-event, weather, storm-disaster, brisbane-4000, qld
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| UpdatedA DJ at a rave where a man died on New Year's Day after taking an unknown drug says he noticed unusual behaviour from dozens of people at the event, with four in particular looking "out of control".
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, palen-creek-4287
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| UpdatedPauline Hanson's One Nation party defends its vetting process after losing a candidate within days of announcing its team for the next Queensland election.
Topics: one-nation, political-parties, government-and-politics, elections, state-parliament, currumbin-4223, qld, australia, brisbane-4000, southport-4215
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People who assault bus drivers should face extra penalties, in line with attacks on other public servants such as police and ambulance officers, unions say.
Topics: activism-and-lobbying, assault, crime, government-and-politics, work, brisbane-4000, qld, australia
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| UpdatedQueensland skin cancer patients will be the first in Australia to be treated with a new machine for delivering radiation, which is less invasive and leaves less scarring than surgery.
Topics: health, medical-procedures, skin-cancer, diseases-and-disorders, brisbane-4000, qld
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| UpdatedPrime Minister Malcolm Turnbull backs Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls, who has been facing criticism from within his own Liberal National Party.
Topics: liberal-national-party-queensland, political-parties, government-and-politics, brisbane-4000, qld, australia
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| UpdatedTwo Queensland senators shrug off criticism from Federal Attorney-General George Brandis, who labelled his state LNP colleagues "very, very mediocre".
Topics: liberal-national-party-queensland, liberals, alp, one-nation, political-parties, government-and-politics, brisbane-4000, qld, australia
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| UpdatedThe federal Attorney-General is caught on camera making disparaging remarks about his Queensland conservative colleagues and a potential revisiting of the LNP merger.
Topics: liberal-national-party-queensland, political-parties, government-and-politics, liberals, nationals, one-nation, federal---state-issues, federal-parliament, brisbane-4000, qld, australia
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| UpdatedIt took almost two decades for diabetes to take the eyesight of Brisbane opera singer Janelle Colquhoun, and she is warning other diabetics they could face a similar fate unless they take more care.
Topics: diabetes, adolescent-health, womens-health, people, human-interest, brisbane-4000
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| UpdatedQueensland's Deputy Premier faces dozens of angry taxi drivers outside State Parliament, protesting against ride-sharing service Uber.
Topics: government-and-politics, states-and-territories, brisbane-4000
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| UpdatedThe Queensland Police Service will consider using covert speed cameras more often to reduce the number of severe road crashes.
Topics: police, state-parliament, brisbane-4000
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| UpdatedSchool leaders want to be better informed about domestic violence situations at home to help students and families, the Queensland Association of State School Principals says.
Topics: domestic-violence, schools, education, qld
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| UpdatedActing Premier Curtis Pitt denies the Queensland Government is preparing to backtrack on an election pledge by keeping controversial water reforms designed to help big mining operations.
Topics: state-parliament, laws, water-management, alp, elections, brisbane-4000, cairns-4870, mackay-4740, townsville-4810, rockhampton-4700, mount-isa-4825, longreach-4730, toowoomba-4350
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Queensland voters may eventually rethink their opposition to privatisation based on the experience of New South Wales, LNP leader Lawrence Springborg says.
Topics: liberal-national-party-queensland, privatisation-and-deregulation, alp, brisbane-4000
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The Queensland Government has vowed to maintain expensive industry assistance measures despite a report recommending a significant overhaul.
Topics: government-and-politics, state-parliament, qld
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| UpdatedAnother fault in the Queensland Education Department's reporting of suspected abuse is a blow to public confidence in the child protection system, the Queensland Family and Child Commission says.
Topics: schools, public-sector, child-abuse, law-crime-and-justice, qld
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| UpdatedA senior official in Education Queensland stands down as investigations continue into an IT bungle that resulted in cases of suspected child abuse not being passed onto police.
Topics: schools, public-sector, child-abuse, law-crime-and-justice, brisbane-4000
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| UpdatedA system failure has meant more than 600 suspected cases of child abuse reported by school principals were not forwarded to police, the Queensland Government says.
Topics: child-abuse, public-sector, teachers, education, crime, qld
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| UpdatedBarrister Alan MacSporran, who recently led the inquiry into cruelty in the greyhound industry, is confirmed as the new chairman of Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission, ending a drawn-out stoush between Labor and the LNP.
Topics: corruption, crime, liberal-national-party-queensland, alp, qld
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| UpdatedBusiness confidence in Queensland bounces back from the initial downturn recorded after the Palaszczuk Government took office in January.
Topics: activism-and-lobbying, economic-trends, alp, qld, brisbane-4000
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| UpdatedThe Queensland Premier is set to review the performance of her Cabinet at the end of the year and is not ruling out a reshuffle or adding extra ministers.
Topics: public-sector, alp, state-parliament, brisbane-4000, qld